Eating less sugar is essential for good health. Here are 12 (easy) tips to cut back on sugar without disrupting all of your habits.
This is not a first: the French consuming too much sugar daily. On average, a French person thus consumes 95 grams of sugar per day, that is, 35 kilos per year: this is above the world average (which is 20 kilos per year) and well above the recommendations of the World Organization Of the health. , which recommends a maximum of 25 grams of sugar per day, or 5 teaspoons!
Be careful, says nutritionist Alexandra Retion, author of My low GI desserts (ed. Leduc), “WHO speaks of both added sugars and sugars naturally contained in fruit juices, honeys, syrups and fruit juices based on concentrates because these sugars quickly reach the blood and raise glycaemia”. So it can go very fast.
Eat less sugar: why?
First of all, excessive consumption of sugar on a daily basis has a direct impact on health: excess sugar increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, cerebrovascular accidents (CVA), Type 2 diabetessince cavitiesobesity, depression, mood disorders or even cancer.
“Sugar also weakens our immune system,” adds the nutritionist. When we eat too much, the microbiota is out of balance, we don’t have enough good bacteria and this has a direct impact on our immunity.”
Second, reduce your sugar intake leads to visible improvements in 2-3 weeks:
- we feel less tired: when blood sugar spikes, energy yo-yos
- we lose weight: up to – 5 kilos because sweet foods are generally very high in calories!
- we sleep better: because sugar interrupts sleep by altering the mechanism of melatonin
- we have more beautiful skin and fewer pimples: because the spikes in blood sugar affect the elasticity of the skin.
Eat less sugar: how to do it?
The secret of a “sugar detox“Success is to go gradually, because there is a real addiction to sugar! We start by stopping putting sugar in coffee, then we are interested in sweet alternatives, then we try sugar-free recipes… If necessary, you can be accompanied by a dietician -nutritionist.
our expert : Alexandra Retion, nutritionist, author of My low GI desserts (ed. Leduc)
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Avoid sweeteners
One of the faux pas to detox from sugar is to replace it with sweeteners or candy. When you eat a sweet-tasting sweetener, all the physiological reactions of sugar digestion are created in your body. The production of the hormone insulin allows sugar to enter the blood… when there is none! You’re tricking your brain into eating more to make up for the discrepancy between the “sweet taste” and the lack of calories.
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Substitute sugar in your recipes
The first tip to reduce sugar in your recipes is to replace it with natural solutions: mashed banana, applesauce without added sugar or dates, which have an interesting sweetening power but will help you lower blood sugar.
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Choose simple foods
Choose raw foods as much as possible because ultra-processed foods often contain added sugars (this is the case with vegetable soups or sauces, for example). The same goes for fruit juices: drinking a glass of orange juice will cause a spike in blood sugar because the sugar goes straight into the blood, whereas if you eat an orange, the fibers it contains and the simple act of chewing it will They will provide a smooth and progressive feel. Energy.
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Substitute sugar for spices
In a yoghurt, in a bowl of cottage cheese or even in a petit-suisse, the traditional white sugar is replaced by cocoa, cinnamon, anise, vanilla extract, cardamom, lemon, orange or lemon zest. You gain flavor while saving calories.
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Turn to natural alternatives
To remove the sweet taste, sugar can be advantageously replaced by honey or maple syrup (full of vitamins and trace elements), agave syrup (low glycemic index) or even coconut sugar, rapadura or stevia.
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No more fruit yogurts!
Fruit yogurts are among the processed products in which there is a high amount of added sugars. By comparison, a pot of plain yogurt contains 6.4 g of carbohydrates (the natural lactose in milk), while a pot of fruit yogurt contains 14.8 g of carbohydrates, the difference being only the sugars added. The solution: chop a fruit in your natural yogurt.
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no sweet breakfast
The traditional baguette-butter-jelly breakfast or (worse) bowl of cereal causes a major influx of blood sugar and, behind it, the mid-morning crash. To avoid this, have a fatty and protein breakfast: wholemeal or sourdough bread, raw milk butter, boiled egg or slice of ham. This will prevent sugar cravings and midday compulsions.
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Take the time to read the labels
At the supermarket, we take the time to take a look at the nutritional composition of foods. Thus, on the label, the ingredients are listed in descending order of importance: if sugar (or its derivatives: sucrose, fructose, glucose, glucose syrup, glucose-fructose syrup, dextrose, etc.) is on the main list , we do not buy!
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Control your sugar cravings
A sudden craving for sugar? Quick, we break out the secret weapon: cinnamon essential oil. This contains molecules that act on the limbic system (the area of the brain in particular responsible for pleasure) and block the sensation of hunger and the desire for sweets. We deposit 1 to 2 drops on an orange peel and breathe the perfume calmly.
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Trust the glycemic index
The glycemic index (or glycemic index or GI) reflects the ability of a food to increase blood glucose, that is, the level of sugar in the blood. The weaker the better! Thus, to reduce your sugar intake, you will prefer rye bread (GI 45) to sliced bread (GI 75) and applesauce (GI 35) to jam (GI 65).